Commonly, in a storage rack, such as a pallet rack, a beam is connected to a column via a flanged member having a side flange welded to one end of the beam and having a front flange with a linear array of regularly spaced hooks. The flanged member is fitted against the column in an operative position with the side flange disposed against a side wall of the column, with the front flange disposed against a front wall of the column, and with each hook hooked into a respective one of a linear array of regularly spaced apertures of the front wall of the column. Commonly, moreover, the side wall of the column has a linear array of regularly spaced apertures, which differ in their shapes from the apertures of the front wall of the column.
At an early date, it was realized by those skilled in the art that a locking device would have to be provided, which would restrain the flanged member against becoming dislodged accidentally from the operative position by an object, such as a pallet, if the object struck the beam or the flanged member as the object was being lifted near the flanged member. Prior locking devices of a type disclosed sketchily in Guiher U.S. Pat. No. 3,565,264 have been used widely for many years.
A prior locking device of the type noted above comprises an elongate, strip-like, spring clip, which is attached to the side flange of a flanged member, and a locking pin, which is affixed to the spring clip near its distal end. The side flange is welded to one end of a beam. The spring clip has a hairpin bend where the spring clip is clipped over a back edge of the side flange. Near its proximal end, the spring clip is bent to form a flange, which fits into a slot of the side flange. The locking pin extends through an aperture of the side flange of the flanged member and through a selected aperture of the side wall of the column. Hooks on the front flange of the flanged member are hooked into apertures in the front wall of the column. The locking pin has a rounded corner defining a camming surface, which coacts with a rounded corner of the column where the side and front walls adjoin so that the locking pin extending through the aperture of the side flange of the flange member is inserted automatically into the selected aperture of the side wall of the column, upon manipulation of the beam to attach the beam to the column.
Although the prior locking device described above has proved to be generally satisfactory, it has shortcomings. Because of the flange formed near the distal end, the spring clip is difficult to install without overstressing its hairpin bend. The spring clip can be accidentally dislodged if it is struck by an object moving past it. If the spring clip is dislodged, it may become ineffective to restrain the flanged member against becoming dislodged accidentally.
There has been a need, to which this invention is addressed, for an improved connector for connecting a beam to a column via a flanged member integral with one end of the beam and formed with hooks hooked into apertures of the column and for locking the flanged member to the column.